FRONTIERS OF ZOOLOGYDale A. Drinnon has been a researcher in the field of Cryptozoology for the past 30+ years and has corresponded with Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson. He has a degree in Anthropology from Indiana University and is a freelance artist and writer. Motto: "I would rather be right and entirely alone than wrong in the company with all the rest of the world"--Ambroise Pare', "the father of modern surgery", in his refutation of fake unicorn horns.

Sunday, 16 February 2014

'Bristol Crocodile'

VIDEO: Bristol Crocodile captured on camera - or is it an al-log-ator?

IS this the proof that Bristol is playing host to a six-foot crocodile? Tom Aditya, a Bradley Stoke town councillor, believes he has captured the elusive Bristol crocodile on video.

He made the film while walking by the River Avon near Pill.

In his amateur footage, an object – not dissimilar to a log – can be seen moving towards the banks of the river where birds take flight, possibly in fear.

The film, captured in October but published exclusively by the Bristol Post for the first time today, follows two sightings of a crocodile last week which have led to a police investigation and city-wide speculation.

But Mr Aditya has dismissed the idea that the object he filmed is a crocodile – or a log – in favour of his own theory that our reptilian friend is an alligator.

In the video, Mr Aditya focuses on a dark brown object drifting in the brown waters of the mouth of the Avon.

The camera is focused on the object for almost two and a half minutes.

Mr Aditya told the Bristol Post that when he first spotted the alleged reptile in October he "didn't think much of it".

But when he read the news that Avon and Somerset police chief constable Nick Gargan had told the public that police were searching for the beast, he was reminded of his close encounter.

He said he has now contacted the police but they declined his offer to send the video to them.

Mr Aditya, a management consultant who runs his own firm from Bristol and London, said he spotted the reptile while on one of his regular walks down the Avon to Pill.

He said: "I remember I could see its eyes there and at first I thought it could be a seal, but then it kept moving up the river slowly.

"I thought it was quite natural at first. I was a bit amazed, I thought 'why?'

"After that I didn't really think about it. I thought it might be naturally there.

"Then when I heard someone spotted a crocodile in Bristol, I went back to the video."

Sceptics have already dismissed various sightings of the Bristol crocodile as nothing more than a floating log.

Mr Aditya added that he had consulted his friend about the video who had offered his own conclusion.

He said: "I have shown it to a friend in Florida and he believes that it is a crocodile of the gharial species from the Indian subcontinent. It is a fish-eating crocodile.

"It may have reached here through any vessel that passed through the Bristol channel."

Fears that a crocodile was on the loose in Bristol were first triggered when Mr Gargan tweeted last week that a bus driver had reported a sighting from Bedminster Bridge.

Mr Gargan revealed the police had launched an investigation, but a search "found no trace" of the beast.

A second sighting of the alleged crocodile in the Avon came from 41-year-old mother-of-three Kelly Gray, of Bishopsworth, who saw the beast from Clarence Road on Wednesday.

Police said Mr Aditya's call about his video had been logged, however, they added there was no on-going investigation into the sightings. A spokesman said the police were unable to say how many calls they have received about crocodiles since last Monday's first sighting.

[In my opinion the object shown is possibly a seal, as Mr Aditya thought at first. Historically, though, some of the reports seem to have been giant salamanders and it is possible some reports out of the current crop of sightings are, too-DD][Additional note, a later photograph purported to be this same "Bristol Crocodile" seems to me to be transparently a hoax-DD]

No comments:

Post a Comment

This blog does NOT allow anonymous comments. All comments are moderated to filter out abusive and vulgar language and any posts indulging in abusive and insulting language shall be deleted without any further discussion.

Popular Posts

In order to be fair and have more choices, there are now two Popular Posts lists: the first one is for the last 30 days and the second one is for all-time favorites. Some posts may appear on both lists temporarily.

Associated Sites

Disclaimer

In Accordance with Title 17 USC Section 107, any copyright material on display here is under Fair Use without any claim of ownership or any profit accrued by the display. The Material herein is for non-profit educational or criticism puposes only. Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 106 and 106a, the fair use of a copyrighted work including reproduction and distribution of said material as specified in that section, for purposes of education, news reporting, commentary or criticism, scholarship or research, to persons who have expressed a prior interest in receiving such material for such purposes, is NOT an infringement.